This is the UFC 287 live blog for Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Christian Rodriguez, the bantamweight main card opener on Saturday in Miami.
One of the breakout fighters of 2022, Rosas holds the unique distinction of being the youngest fighter in UFC history at 18. After making a successful UFC debut with a first-round submission of Jay Perrin in December, the UFC marketing machine is ready to push their new star with prime placement on a marquee pay-per-view event. Rosas will have his work cut out for him this weekend though, as Rodriguez represents by far his toughest opponent to date.
At 8-1 in his professional career, 25-year-old Rodriguez is also just starting out on his MMA journey, but the Roufusport fighter has already shown the hallmarks of a legitimate prospect. After losing his UFC debut to bantamweight super-prospect Jonathan Pearce, Rodriguez rebounded with a first-round submission of Joshua Weems in October, setting up this opportunity. Unfortunately, Rodriguez did fail to make the bantamweight limit, coming in at 137 pounds. As a result, Rodriguez will forfeit 20 percent of his purse, and will be ineligible to earn any Performance bonuses.
Check out the UFC 287 main card opener live blog below.
